Cathy Marie Hake Letter Perfect

Letter Perfect

Cathy Marie Hake

Bethany House, Aug 2006, $13.99

ISBN: 0764201654

In 1859 Ruth Caldwell has tried to live up to her mother's expectations that she become a refined lady, but all the klutzy woman has to show for her efforts is being thrown out of several finishing schools as a helpless cause. However, the return home to St. Louis is not filled with embarrassment over her latest failure; instead she finds her beloved mother dying of consumption. Being a lady no longer matters as she becomes a caretaker and companion until her mom passes away six months later. Her mom's last dying wish was for Ruth to see her biological father in California.

Though she would rather not, Ruth adheres to her deathbed pledge only to find her dad dead too and she a part owner of the Broken P Ranch, along with her father's partner, the patriarch of the McCain brood. Josh McCain helped Ruth's father kick alcohol and to find the Lord. He wants Ruth to claim what is rightfully her, but someone thinks otherwise as she is the source of questionable accidents that he believes are deliberate; Josh plans to keep her safe.

Cathy Marie Hake smoothly combines a fine whodunit with a warm romance inside an inspirational Americana tale. Ruth is a delightful protagonist trying to please others, but failing because she does not please herself; that changes when she meets Josh, who "introduces" her to the Lord, love, and her late father. The support cast is solid while the villain is in plain sight but easily overlooked. Readers will enjoy this fine historical cozy that paints a picture of faith on several levels in God, in one's self and in one's soulmate.

Harriet Klausner